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Principals are rejecting a law that requires them to enroll students who have been excluded from school for violence, saying it fails those children and puts others at risk.
The Federation of Directors of New Zealand has encouraged its members to challenge the legally binding directed registrations of the Ministry of Education.
But the ministry says it is concerned that the federation is encouraging schools to contest targeted enrollments, saying all children have the right to an education.
Federation President Perry Rush said that children who were excluded were often not adequately supported and that there needed to be an alternative solution to keep them in the educational system, rather than placing them in another school.
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Forcing children to return to education with limited additional support often meant that they were left behind and were sometimes excluded multiple times.
“Of course, the end result of a pattern of exclusion is that a young person leaves the educational system and goes out onto the streets.”
123RF
The Ministry of Education says it is concerned about the position of the Federation, since all children and young people have the right to education (File photo).
The federation was currently supporting a school to challenge a targeted tuition, saying there must be urgent action to address the problem of violence in schools.
“We really get sick and try to vocalize our concerns, we really need a rhythm solution now,” Rush said.
While there was support for schools that were asked to accept students, it was not enough.
“In most cases, even the most serious young people will be offered a couple of hours of support as a teacher’s aide. They don’t just meet challenges with their behavior between 2 and 3 every Tuesday afternoon when the paraprofessional is present. “
Monique Ford / Stuff
New Zealand Headmasters Federation President Perry Rush says there must be alternative paths for children who are violent at school (File photo).
Rush wanted to see a Napier-based pilot program, Te Tupu- Managed Moves, implemented nationwide.
The program supported a maximum of 10 students with two teachers and two teacher aides, involving families, community organizations, iwi, police, the district health board and the Ministry, among others, to support children at risk of exclusion.
“When their therapeutic needs are taken care of, they can go back to their home school.”
The ministry’s deputy for sector empowerment and support, Katrina Casey, was concerned that the federation was encouraging schools to oppose directed enrollment.
“All children and young people have the right to education.”
Regarding Te Tupu, an initial evaluation of the pilot’s first six months of operation showed some positive impact on the first group of tamariki.
“We agree that these initial findings are promising and we continue to work together with Te Tupu to monitor the pilot.”
A final evaluation of the pilot would ship in June 2022 and decisions on further deployment would come after that, Casey said.
“In the meantime, we provide and fund many programs and services to support the management of challenging behavior, including the Behavior Service, the Comprehensive Intensive Service, and the Interim Response Fund.”
The ministry was moving toward a more preventive and collaborative service approach focused on the needs of the child, Casey said.
Some children exhibited highly defiant behavior, often not due to school, but to a variety of social factors, such as housing, employment, transience, and family disputes.
Depending on needs, the ministry could provide support in the form of a resource teacher at the school, the ministry’s behavior service, or an intensive one-stop service.
“If a school decides to exclude a student, that will not be a decision they made lightly; Exclusion often occurs after a period of behavior and despite attempts by the school to address the behavior. Using power to lead is a last resort and one we don’t use lightly. ”
RNZ
The Federation of Directors is challenging the authority of the Ministry of Education to order schools to enroll violent children. It has told its members to consider challenging any directed enrollment involving a student who has been expelled from another school for violence.
